Newt Gingrich, That Ship Has Sailed

Newt Gingrich pulled an Obama. During a critical period, where his leadership was most needed – he went on vacation.

Despite advice to the contrary from his campaign staff, Newt and his wife went on a cruise through the Greek isles and now, his most senior campaign staff is sailing into the sunset.

Newt’s campaign manager, spokesman, and advisers in three states stepped down on Thursday reportedly due to confusion over what direction the campaign should take. With no leader to steer the ship, it would appear that Gingrich’s phoenix-like rise from the ashes was more akin to the Titanic’s maiden voyage.

Newt Gingrich has struggled ever since he cut the legs out from underneath Congressmen Paul Ryan’s budgetary framework by referring to it as “right-wing social engineering”.

Some reports blame the rift on a Wednesday night call where his senior staff asked him to spend more time in the early primary states of Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire and less time promoting a documentary he made with his wife.

Another report states that his managers were concerned over expenditures on expensive private jets despite the fact that many of Gingrich’s largest financial donors had told his campaign that they would not be supporting him during this campaign.

When a team implodes, it is always from a lack of leadership. We see it in the constant turnover in Obama’s administration and we see it now in Gingrich’s campaign.

To reinforce Newt’s image of lackluster leadership and poor judgement, he is planning to “re-launch” his campaign from … Los Angeles, California.

*update 6/10*: There is a report that now says aids are putting some of the blame on Newt’s wife for pressuring him to run a “part-time” campaign. This sounds like deflection so that Newt can say that it wasn’t that he didn’t want to work hard, my wife asked me to balance work and personal life. This plays not with Conservatives. The country is in trouble and needs our steadfast attention. If Newt and Callista can only be bothered occasionally to take the reigns, we’ll help them out – don’t friggen bother.

About R. Mitchell

Rich Mitchell is the Sr. Managing Editor of Conservative Daily News. His posts may contain opinions that are his own and are not necessarily shared by Anomalous Media, CDN, staff or .. much of anyone else. Find him on twitter, facebook and google+

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Newt, whom I have great respect for, because of his historical knowledge, had the potential to be a constructive force in Republican politics. He would have made a great RNC chair if he could but have subdued his penchant for taking isolating and self-serving positions hat mark him as a broken cog in the wheels of progress. He should have actively sought that position. However, in recent years he has displayed the grouchy, crotchety old-man image that is unbecoming of anyone and most especially of one who seeks to lead. His handling of this “cruise” situation couldn’t have shown him in a more arrogant light. Whilst we on the right criticize the incumbent President for his golfing outings during times when he should be knuckled down to critical world problems Newt gleefully accomodatesthe left and bounds into that very same category for criticism, but only on a different level. Ego blinds good judgement as always has been true.

That marks him forevermore as a negative force in Republican politics for no individual is above the cause and the cause now is quite literally SAVING THIS REPUBLIC. He will still be a force I believe, but from without and as a commentator. This event, following so soon on the heels of the criticism of Paul Ryan, puts the exclamation point of attention on him AND US and is embarassing to me as a conservative Republican. I would suggest my reaction is not unusual among Republicans. Newt has offered more fodder for the far-left grist mills to churn out to make sport of the right.

My advice to Newt would be to just slip away QUIETLY into that gentle night of Republican politics past….please!

Newt is also not a consistent conservative. With his calling Ryan’s plan “right wing social engineering” and his support for amnesty (he doesn’t call it that but it is amnesty) and his environmental waffling he just cannot be trusted to hold to a conservative agenda.

Agreed. I think what happened to him last time he became the Republican ‘firebrand” of sorts with his Plan for America the demonization by the leftist media changed him. I fear that he sacrificed principles for political pragmatism, NEVER a good thing for a conservative who wants to lead to do.

It’s somewhat ironic that Newt, back in ’95, tried to push through his own health reform version. For those short of memory it was known as Medicare Plus, a title intended, I believe, to be a pre-emptive challenge to the demonization he anticipated from the left as being the one who would steal the senior citizens’ health insurance away. Therefore the Plus tag add-on. His plan, back then, would have made substantive cuts to Medicare to the tune (if memory serves me correctly) of about $300 large…, meaning BILLION. The Plus part of his plan offered seniors the opportunity to have a premium support choice to join HMOs. The irony here is it remarkable closely akin to Mr. Paul Ryan’s plan that he disdainfully sh*t all over just recently! Back then he even refused to compromise so Clinton vetoed it. Isn’t it Ryan today who has been seeking support so as to not have to compromise? And for that Newt dumped on him.

Newt has gone around the political bend to become a pragmatic populist, a finger-in-the-wind waiver…NOT a conservative by any critical measure.